Frequently Asked Questions

A BEE Certificate is the end product of the B-BBEE verification process reflecting information such as name, address and registration details of the company assessed, as well as the category, sector code, element scores and points as per the company’s BEE scorecard, and the issue date of the certificate. A BEE certificate is valid for 1 year from date of issue, and can be re-evaluated at any time during that year to potentially achieve a better score. Certificates are only valid when issued by a SANAS accredited verification agency.

Due to the BEE certificate being independent and credible, it is increasingly used to grow South African companies by using it to apply for tenders, provide to clients applying preferential procurement, registering for grants and loans, applying for licenses and so forth.

All businesses need to have a valid BEE certificate, whether big or small.

BEE aims to redress the inequalities of the past; it directly contributes to the economic transformation of South Africa and the decrease in income inequalities.

All organs of state and public entities, and any enterprise which undertakes business with a government entity, are required to comply with the provisions of the Codes of Good Practice.

• Government Suppliers
• A compliant company will obtain a competitive advantage over its non-compliant competitors.
• DTI Grants
• Voluntary compliance creates equal, economic opportunities for all
• There may be pressure from customers to be compliant (Attorneys, Doctors, Tenders, etc)
• Chain effect formed

Black means Africans, Coloureds, Indians and Chinese born in South Africa. This includes Natural persons who are citizens of the Republic of South Africa by birth or descent, or citizens of the Republic of South Africa by naturalisation:

• Occurring before the commencement date of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act of 1993; or

• Occurring after the commencement date of the constitution of the Republic of SA Act of 1993, but who, without the apartheid policy would have qualified for naturalisation before then.

A B-BBEE Consultant works alongside a business to help them put in place the mechanisms to ensure compliance and to help them receive the maximum scoring possible. Rocksolid aims to assist clients in a cost effective manner. All our clients are unique and each strategy is tailored to be as simple and effective as possible. We educate our clients to understand BEE and then make informed decisions.

B-BBEE compliance is determined according to the number of points a business scores on the scorecard. The more points it scores, the higher its level of compliance. Exceed a particular target and you can claim the full number of points allocated to it.

Your clients are asking for your B-BBEE certificate as your score has an impact on their B-BBEE score rating. Companies have to have at least 80% of their suppliers’ B-BBEE certificates in order to get a score for procurement.

No, you need to get points in each element (Ownership, Management Control, Skills Development, Enterprise and Supplier Development and Socio-Economic Development) on the B-BBEE scorecard to get a good rating for B-BBEE.

Yes definitely. You need to get a good B-BBEE score in each of the other elements, besides ownership, on the scorecard in order to get a good score.

B-BBEE is not a law. However, you will find over time that your clients start using other suppliers who have got B-BBEE certificates as the pressure to comply will increase.

B-BBEE is only expensive if you do not know how to implement it or you have left everything until the last minute. A good consultant will be able to assist you to implement B-BBEE cost effectively with tax concession and SETA funding to assist you.

If an employer has previously reported, but no longer employs 50 or more people and/or its turnover no longer meets the turnover thresholds, the employer should deregister from the public register before the last working day in August.

It is important that the employer starts to put the correct measures in place immediately. The Department of Employment and Labour is entitled to visit any employer without notice in order to conduct an Employment Equity inspection. This inspection looks at the employer’s facility to determine whether it complies with all aspects of the Employment Equity Act.